ESPN, Filmmaker Peter Berg Team Up For New "Monday Night Football" Intro

ESPN yesterday announced that filmmaker Peter Berg has created a new 90-second opening intro for "MNF" that pays tribute to the show's 44-year history. The intro will combine memorable moments from past "MNF" games with images of cultural events of the past 44 years. The new feature will debut prior to the Eagles-Redskins "MNF" regular-season opener on Sept. 9 at 7:00pm ET (ESPN). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Eriq Gardner notes the new opening, which has "been in the works for nine months, references Pac-Man, Madonna and Titanic, among other major cultural forces." ESPN execs have been "looking for a permanent opening since dropping Hank Williams Jr.'s classic 'Are You Ready for Some Football' intro" in '11. ESPN Senior VP & Exec Producer Jed Drake said that the net at the end of last season "quietly put out requests for proposals to creative firms before Berg offered the timeline concept." Berg was "hired and worked" with L.A.-based design firm Ignition Creative on the opening. The plan is to "regularly tweak the opening, adding and subtracting historical moments." One aspect of the montage that could "generate chatter is the Disney quotient." ESPN's parent company is "represented by Star Wars and Indiana Jones (Lucasfilm), Toy Story (Pixar) and Iron Man (Marvel)." Berg said, "Whether it be presidents being elected, great films, 9/11, Katrina -- these are moments that we all remember culturally and somehow dealt with on Monday Night Football" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/23 issue). In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley reports video of former Packers LB Chris Gizzi running the American flag onto the field for the first "MNF" game after 9/11 "has been folded into" the new intro (JSONLINE.com, 8/14).